John Hardie Exiting as CEO of U.K.-Based News and Factual Producer ITN

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – John Hardie will step down as CEO of at the end of the year. ITN is one of the main broadcast news producers in the U.K. and also has a separate production arm that majors in factual and fast-turnaround documentary programming.

Hardie has been at ITN for nine years, returning the business to profitability and spearheading a diversification strategy. The company said it will start looking for a new CEO soon.

The departing exec said “the time has come for me to start the next chapter of my career and pursue some long-held ambitions.” He added: “It will be my enduring pride to have played my part in shaping ITN into one of the most successful, highly-regarded television production companies in the UK, solidifying its position not only in world-class broadcast news but also in television production, sports, advertising and digital.”

Prior to ITN, Hardie was Disney’s EVP for the EMEA region, and before that was commercial director at . He has also been the chair of the Royal Television Society.

ITN chair Geert Linnebank said Hardie “leaves the company in fantastic shape for the future with a strong blueprint for further expansion both in the U.K. and internationally.”

The company, which counts British broadcaster ITV as its largest shareholder, makes daily news programs for ITV, Channel 4 and Viacom’s Channel 5. Its factual shows include “Drug Lords” for Netflix and the recent Channel 4 one-off “ Russian Spy Assassins .”